Ecce Ancilla Dómini

GOSPEL OF THE DAY:
Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Gospel according to Matthew 17:1-9
Ecce Ancilla Dómini

Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John,
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them;
his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
“Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, behold,
a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,
then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.”
When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate
and were very much afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
“Rise, and do not be afraid.”
And when the disciples raised their eyes,
they saw no one else but Jesus alone.

As they were coming down from the mountain,
Jesus charged them,
“Do not tell the vision to anyone
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

GOSPEL OF THE DAY
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Gospel according to Matthew 15:21-28
Wednesday 18th Week Ordinary in Time
Ecce Ancilla Dómini

At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon.”
But he did not say a word in answer to her.
His disciples came and asked him,
“Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”
He said in reply,
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”
He said in reply,
“It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters.”
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
“O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.”
And her daughter was healed from that hour.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY
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Tuesday 18th Week in Ordinary Time (A)
Gospel according to Matthew
15:1-2, 10-14:

Some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,
“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?
They do not wash their hands when they eat a meal.”
He summoned the crowd and said to them, “Hear and understand.
It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles the man;
but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.”
Then his disciples approached and said to him,
“Do you know that the Pharisees took offense
when they heard what you said?”
He said in reply, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted
will be uprooted.
Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind.
If a blind man leads a blind man,
both will fall into a pit.”

GOSPEL OF THE DAY
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Gospel according to Matthew 15:1-2, 10-14:
Tuesday 18th Week in Ordinary Time.

Some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,
“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?
They do not wash their hands when they eat a meal.”
He summoned the crowd and said to them, “Hear and understand.
It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles the man;
but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.”
Then his disciples approached and said to him,
“Do you know that the Pharisees took offense
when they heard what you said?”
He said in reply, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted
will be uprooted.
Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind.
If a blind man leads a blind man,
both will fall into a pit.”

GOSPEL OF THE DAY
Gospel according to Matthew 14:22-36
Monday 18th week in Ordinary Time
Ecce Ancilla Dómini
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Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side of the sea,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”

After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret.
When the men of that place recognized him,
they sent word to all the surrounding country.
People brought to him all those who were sick
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak,
and as many as touched it were healed.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY:
18th Sunday O.T (A)
Gospel according to Matthew 14:13-21.

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves.”
Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”
Then he said, “Bring them here to me,”
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over—
twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men,
not counting women and children.

Ecce Ancilla Dómini

GOSPEL OF THE DAY
Saturday 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time:
Gospel according to Matthew 14:1-12

Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus
and said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist.
He has been raised from the dead;
that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”

Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison
on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip,
for John had said to him,
“It is not lawful for you to have her.”
Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people,
for they regarded him as a prophet.
But at a birthday celebration for Herod,
the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests
and delighted Herod so much
that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for.
Prompted by her mother, she said,
“Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
The king was distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests who were present,
he ordered that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison.
His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl,
who took it to her mother.
His disciples came and took away the co**se
and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.

The Light of Christ Cannot Be Silenced.Ecce Ancilla Dómini

They covered the face of the Blessed Mother with black paint.

They scarred the holy places where millions come seeking peace.

They set fire to an altar where countless hearts have encountered Christ.

For a moment, darkness seemed to speak loudly.

As Medjugorje prepared to welcome thousands of young pilgrims for the 36th International Youth Festival (Mladifest) from August 4–8, many wondered if these acts of vandalism would overshadow the celebration of faith.

Would fear replace faith?

Would hatred silence the songs of prayer?

The answer came with the dawn.

There were no calls for revenge. No cries for retaliation.

Instead, volunteers arrived quietly with brushes, water, and determination. Parish workers restored the damaged sanctuary. Pilgrims returned to their knees in prayer. The bells of St. James Church rang once again—not to summon people to anger, but to hope.

And Mladifest continued.

Young people from every corner of the world kept arriving, carrying rosaries instead of resentment, hymns instead of hatred, and hearts eager to encounter Christ.

The festival itself became the Church’s most powerful response: not fear, but faith; not division, but communion; not despair, but hope.

For more than forty years, the Queen of Peace has invited the world to pray, fast, forgive, and choose peace.

That message did not change because of one night of violence. If anything, it became even clearer.

The paint will disappear.

The altar will be restored.

The walls will be repaired.

But the love that fills this holy place cannot be vandalized.

The peace of Christ cannot be burned.

The Gospel cannot be silenced.

Perhaps the greatest witness was not that the sanctuary was repaired, but that the hearts of God’s people remained unbroken.

They prayed not only for the pilgrims who were saddened, but also for the conversion of the person who caused the damage.

That is the victory of Christ.

Evil may wound, but love heals.

Hatred divides, but forgiveness restores.

As Mladifest begins, Medjugorje offers the world a timeless lesson:

The strongest answer to darkness is not revenge. It is the light of Christ, shining through hearts that refuse to stop loving.

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